BAWLF, Alta. – Each morning the folks in Bawlf gather at the Homestyle Bakery And Cafe for a visit.
But this morning, things are different. Joining them at the coffee shop is hometown curling hero Brenda Bohmer with her stack of trophies and bouquets of flowers.
“We all sat around and had coffee yapping about how excited they were that Bawlf got coverage on TV,” said Bohmer who just a few days earlier won the Scott Tournament of Hearts, the Canadian women’s curling championship held in Regina March 1.
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Cafe owner Linda Nikiforuk said curling was the talk of the town the entire week Bohmer played with the winning Alberta rink of Cathy Borst, Kate Horne and Heather Godberson.
“It’s a really, really proud moment to see a hometown girl do good,” said Nikiforuk.
That community support is one of the reasons Bohmer quit her management job of 19 years in Beaumont and moved back to Bawlf to take over the family farm.
“I feel like I’ve got a lot of support from the community because I’ve been away for quite awhile,” said Bohmer, who practically grew up on the three-sheet curling rink in Bawlf.
Up for sale
Four years ago Bohmer’s parents Kore and Lil announced they were selling the farm. Brenda was working full time, her brother had died in an accident a few years earlier and there was no one to take over the farm.
That announcement shocked Bohmer into realizing she didn’t want the farm sold. Over the next four years, she slowly made the transition from salaried employee to full-time farmer.
With tutoring from her father, she farmed one quarter of land on her own while working full time and rented the other two quarters to a neighbor. This will be the first year she farms all 480 acres on her own.
“It’s a big step for me, a rookie and a woman. I’ve tripled the workload. It’s a huge decision, I know,” said Bohmer who is putting the finishing touches on her new farmhouse nestled among some spruce trees her grandmother planted 50 years ago.
“The lifestyle is what I care about.”
Bohmer said there are many parallels between winning the Canadian women’s curling championship and taking over the farm.
“They both involve goal setting and dreams. I’ve worked towards them for many years and they both became reality in the same year. That’s really special.”
Two years ago, the curling foursome knew they had a team that clicked and set their sights on the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. They set a strict training regimen. In addition, they met every two weeks with a sports psychologist to mentally prepare for the game.
But the team came fourth in the Olympic trials and was forced to start over again at the local level to qualify for the women’s Canadian championship.
This time everything worked. Bohmer was named all-star second and most valuable player of the tournament.
They’ve given themselves a couple of days break, but by the weekend it’s on to another bonspiel to keep in shape for the world championship April 4-12 in Kamloops, B.C.
Bohmer said the blend of personalities on the team is key and she adds a steadying influence when things get hectic on the ice.
“On our team I’m the quieter, supportive, stable side of things.”
It’s that stability she hopes to bring to the farm.
“I really want to do the best possible job I can do, whether farming or curling,” she said.
“I want to own and I want to operate it.”
